BurmaNet News: December 29, 2000

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______________ THE BURMANET NEWS ______________
        An on-line newspaper covering Burma 
          December 29, 2000   Issue # 1698
______________ www.burmanet.org________________

INSIDE BURMA _______
*South China Morning Post: Slave labour rife, say defectors 
*DVB : SPDC creating mistrust between monks & Muslims 
*AP: U.S. embassy in Myanmar closed because of security concern
*CNN: Myanmar courts sets date in Suu Kyi property dispute
*Xinhua: Myanmar Presents Film Awards for 1999
*Myanmar Times: World to see the ?real? Myanmar on global TV 

REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL _______
*AP: Malaysia's Mahathir to visit Myanmar next week 
*Myanmar Times: Don?t be cowed by Europe?s history, says Asia researcher

ECONOMY/BUSINESS _______
*Myanmar Times: Developers wait for the post-crisis property boom 

OTHER______
*BurmaNet: Virus Warning


The BurmaNet News is viewable online at:
http://theburmanetnews.editthispage.com


__________________ INSIDE BURMA ____________________


South China Morning Post: Slave labour rife, say defectors 

SCMP, Wednesday, December 27, 2000


By DANIEL PEDERSEN, in Mae La, Thailand


Despite strong international criticism, the military is still using 
villagers in Karen state as porters and forcing them to build roads and 
pagodas and grow food against their will and without pay.  Two soldiers 
from Burma's armed forces claimed during an interview on the Thai-Burma 
border that operating in Karen state without porters would be 
impossible.  

Htun Htun, 19, and Kyaw Khaing, 17, fled their unit, Light Infantry 549, 
on November 11.  

They are now in Mae La, Thailand's largest Karen refugee camp - home to 
more than 36,000 people - and hope to find work in Thailand.  

If they are successful they will be the newest arrivals of a growing 
body of people thought to number as many as one million working 
illegally in the kingdom.  

The two defectors walked for seven days through mountainous jungle until 
they encountered members of the Karen National Liberation Army's (KNLA) 
seventh brigade - a day later they were delivered to Mae La camp.
  
To have failed in their flight to freedom through hostile territory 
would have meant indefinite imprisonment and the prospect of working for 
nothing on state projects.  
Prisoners, when used as labourers, are routinely chained together at the 
ankles, they receive less food than civilians and are treated far worse. 
 

Mr Htun Htun said conditions for porters and forced labourers had in 
recent months become far more strict.  

The ruling military junta, the State Peace and Development Council, was 
deeply concerned escapees might make their way to Thailand and convey 
their experiences to the international media.  

But, surrounded by a hostile population and being seriously undermanned, 
troops had little option but to engage villagers as porters, he said.  

"We were told not to talk about it [the use of porters] on the radios 
any more, but we were using them every day," he said.  

"Porters carried everything for us - without them we could not move. 
When you see a lot of people moving through Karen state together you 
know they are porters, you don't see the military, soldiers travel 
behind them using them as screens against landmines and ambushes," he 
said.  

The pair estimated two to three porters from every 100 died while 
lugging ammunition or military equipment.  

Some were killed by landmines, others shot by KNLA troops because they 
were thought to be Burmese soldiers.  

"From a distance it's impossible to tell the difference between soldiers 
and porters, because the civilians always wear soldiers' backpacks," he 
said.  

According to the two defectors, the number of porters being used is 
vast, a single battalion sometimes uses as many as 1,000 at a time.  

Mr Htun Htun's battalion consisted of 178 soldiers - it was seriously 
undermanned, there was supposed to be 777. 
 
This year Light Infantry 549 had regularly used more than 1,000 porters 
at a time, he said.  			

"We divide into groups of about 50 and bring up the rear and flank, we 
tell them [the Karen porters] that they're supposed to show us the way, 
but really we're worried about landmines and the possibility of an 
ambush," he said.  

Working conditions for the junta's soldiers were also poor, said Mr Kyaw 
Khaing.  

"We began work at 6am each day on an empty stomach and worked until 
noon, then we were given a plate of rice and a spoonful of soya beans, 
but there was always a lot of rocks in the rice. At night we were given 
the same meal.  

"There was never enough food and a lot of us were always sick. The 
official wage was 4,700 kyat a month but really we got about 2,000 kyat 
because they took money out for food and haircuts and that sort of 
thing."  

Using the junta's official exchange rate, the monthly pay for soldiers 
is adequate, about US$783 calculated at six kyat to the US dollar.
  
But in reality the exchange rate is about 350 kyat to the dollar, 
meaning the soldiers received about US$5.70 per month (HK$44) after 
expenses were deducted from their salaries.  



____________________________________________________


DVB : SPDC creating mistrust between monks & Muslims 

26 December

It has been learnt that books on politics and the role of monks and a 
religious sermon: Let us hit the sky with our knees, delivered in a 
style of the late Kyarnigan abbot, have been distributed at the 
monasteries in Mandalay division. The book and the sermon urged the 
monks to get involved in politics and to crush the Muslim faithful.

Although it is not known who started the distribution of the books and 
the tapes, it is known that responsible General Administration 
Department and Military Intelligence officials have met with Sangha 
Mahanayaka Committee [Monk Association] members in Mandalay and Myingyan 
townships last November.

The SPDC [State Peace and Development Council] military authorities have 
supplicated senior monks to help confiscate the books and tapes from the 
monasteries. The SPDC military authorities have also told the senior 
abbots that they have already confiscated some books and tapes from some 
of the monasteries in Mandalay southwest township.

According to some monks and abbots, they think it is the act of the SPDC 
military intelligence themselves meant to create mistrust and 
misunderstanding between the abbots and teaching monks and the young 
monks studying at the monasteries. It is also an attempt by them to 
create a religious conflict between the Buddhist monks and the Muslim 
brethren. 

Source: Democratic Voice of Burma, Oslo, in Burmese 1245 gmt 26 Dec 00 


___________________________________________________


AP: U.S. embassy in Myanmar closed because of security concern 

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) _ The United States embassy in military-run 
Myanmar closed Friday because of a security concern, an embassy 
spokesman said. 
 The spokesman would not elaborate on the nature of the security 
concern. But he said it will close to the public Friday and will reopen 
Tuesday. 
 The embassy was still staffed Friday and no new advise was being given 
to U.S. citizens staying in Myanmar, also known as Burma, the spokesman 
said on condition of anonymity. 
 On Oct. 12, the U.S. State Department issued a worldwide alert urging 
caution by U.S. citizens abroad after a fatal terrorist attack on a U.S. 
Navy ship in port in Aden, Yemen. 
 Other foreign embassies contacted in Yangon stayed open. 



___________________________________________________


CNN: Myanmar courts sets date in Suu Kyi property dispute

December 29, 2000 
Web posted at: 2:16 AM HKT (1816 GMT) 


YANGON, Myanmar (AP) -- Arguments will be heard next week in a lawsuit 
filed against Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi by her 
estranged brother claiming half her lakeside property, court officials 
said Thursday. 

Suu Kyi's elder brother, Aung San Oo, a U.S. citizen and resident, is 
demanding half-ownership of the residential compound in Yangon inherited 
from their mother, who died in December 1988. Suu Kyi has lived there 
for the past 12 years. Arguments are scheduled to begin Jan. 5. 

Suu Kyi was held under house arrest without trial there on national 
security charges from 1989-95. In 1990 she won the Nobel Peace prize for 
her nonviolent efforts to promote democracy. 

Suu Kyi's elder brother applied to a Yangon court in November for 
partition of the property. 

The law prohibits foreigners from purchasing or transferring property, 
but the government granted Aung San Oo an exemption. Suu Kyi's lawyers, 
in a written statement to the court, questioned the legality of the 
exemption. 

The government continues to restrict visitors to Suu Kyi's house, and 
greatly limits her freedom of movement. Her National League for 
Democracy party won a 1990 general election but was never allowed to 
take power, and its members face harassment and jail. 

Earlier this month in Washington, U.S. President Bill Clinton awarded in 
absentia the highest U.S. civilian award, the Presidential Medal of 
Freedom, to Suu Kyi for her peaceful struggle for democracy and human 
rights in Myanmar, also known as Burma. 

__________________________________________________


Xinhua: Myanmar Presents Film Awards for 1999

YANGON, December 29 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar's Ministry of Information 
presented seven motion picture awards for 1999 to the country's artists 
Thursday evening, official newspaper The New Light of Myanmar reported 
Friday. Khin Nyunt, first secretary of the Myanmar State Peace and 
Development Council, and Information Minister Kyi Aung attended the 
awards presentation ceremony. The seven film awards include the best 
film, best director, best actor and actress, best supporting actor and 
actress, and special best child actor. At the ceremony, the Information 
minister urged the new generation artists to live up to standard of 
professional artists of olden days and make films reflect national 
requisites. Myanmar formed the Motion Picture Promotion and Scrutiny 
Board in 1952 and since then it has presented a total of 228 film 
academy awards before this event. Meanwhile, Myanmar also set up the 
Motion Picture Association in 1989 and a Motion Picture Museum in 1998. 




___________________________________________________


Myanmar Times: World to see the ?real? Myanmar on global TV 

Dec 25-Jan 7, 2000/2001

THE Myanmar Government has announced an ambitious plan for a new 
English-language television channel, MRTV3, which would be beamed around 
the globe via satellite to present news and documentaries about life in 
Myanmar to a world audience.MRTV3, the launch date of which has not yet 
been finalised, will use the geostationary satellite Thaicom-3 to beam 
worldwide.A senior official of the state-owned MRTV (Myanma Radio and 
Television) said programs on the new channel would mirror the style, in 
content and presentation, of some of the best known international news 
and current affairs cable broadcasters to make them interesting and 
informative to a broad audience. 

?We will be using the international journalistic norms in presenting 
what is really happening in Myanmar,? said U Khin Maung Htay, 
Director-General of the Myanma Radio and Television Department.?The 
project has been aimed at giving an objective response to certain 
western media?s reports about Myanmar.? The desire to respond to what is 
often whimsical or fanciful coverage by those sources ? and to show the 
world community a real Myanmar ? has been the driving motivation behind 
the Government?s decision to establish MRTV3.The channel?s programming 
will incorporate social, cultural and historical aspects of the country 
besides news and commentaries.Technical developments have also 
contributed to the development of the MRTV3 concept.

In the past, under the analogue system, Myanmar used three-fourths of 
the transponder made available from Thaicom-3 for transmission of its 
national TV programs.But the recent digitilisation of its transmission 
means it now uses only one quarter of the megahertz to which it is 
entitled. Under the new system one-half of the transponder is made 
available to Myanmar. The Government, therefore, will need to fill only 
the personnel and hardware aspects of the project to be able to transmit 
MRTV3 worldwide, exclusive of America and some countries in Europe. 
Broadcasts via Thaicom-3 would cover a major part of Europe, and from 
Africa in the west to Japan in the east.

MRTV3 will be telecast each day according to a schedule that coincides 
with prime time viewing in Europe.To find the personnel needed to 
produce and present MRTV3, the Government intends to recruit from both 
the public and the private sectors.The director-general told Myanmar 
Times that arrangements would be made to train staff recruited to the 
station.?The Ministry of Education will provide not only conventional 
English language lessons but also computer-aided classes,? he said.
 
  





___________________ REGIONAL/INTERNATIONAL___________________


AP: Malaysia's Mahathir to visit Myanmar next week 

Dec. 29, 2000

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) _ Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad will pay a 
visit next week to Myanmar, where he has long backed the military regime 
in its contest of wills with pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. 

 A Foreign Ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, 
confirmed that the Malaysian leader would make an official visit Jan. 
3-4, followed by a private holiday through Jan. 9. Details would be 
disclosed later. 

 Mahathir was instrumental in bringing Myanmar into the Association of 
Southeast Asian Nations in 1997, rebuffing the United States and other 
countries who urged isolating the regime to force democratic changes. 

 Mahathir argued that isolating Myanmar, also known as Burma, would be 
counter-productive and that engagement would lead to economic 
improvement and eventual political reforms. 

 The country remains desperately poor and investment has slowed to 
trickle. The military, which has ruled since 1962, refuses to hold talks 
with Suu Kyi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991. 

 Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy overwhelmingly won elections in 
1990, but the military refused to honor the result and Parliament has 
never convened. Suu Kyi has remained under various forms of house arrest 
or restrictions. 



___________________________________________________


Myanmar Times: Don?t be cowed by Europe?s history, says Asia researcher  


Dec. 25-Jan 4, 2000/20001

Dr Tin Maung Maung Than, for the past 17 years a researcher on strategic 
and political issues with the Singapore-based Institute Of South 
East-Asian Studies, is a man well poised to assess the strengths, 
weaknesses and likely future developments within the region.An 
independent research body, but one which receives government funding, 
the institute was founded in 1968. It has a specific focus on South East 
Asia and recently has begun to expand its area of study into the Asia 
Pacific. The institute?s research is of a contemporary, rather than 
historical nature and it is not, said Dr Than, a lobby-oriented 
think-tank. 




Its current projects include a study of the role of the media in 
countries under transition, specifically Cambodia and Myanmar, and ASEAN 
political cooperation.With the year 2000 about to draw to a close, and 
with most ASEAN economies yet to fully recover from recession while 
others face a path of significant change, Dr Than spoke exclusively to 
Myanmar Times on the importance of ASEAN to the region?s stability and 
its political and economic integration. They are issues which will take 
on an even sharper focus with the arrival in the Whitehouse, early in 
2001, of the new US President and, closer to home, a likely change of 
government in neighbouring Thailand.

On ASEAN and the EU 
It is a difficult time (for ASEAN) because of external events; people 
(in the west) tend to look at EU all the time.EU is a more integrated, 
homogenous and institutionally advanced organisation while ASEAN is more 
like a process rather than a product. So people tend to use EU as a 
benchmark and say ASEAN is nothing, it is so primitive.But from the 
ASEAN point of view, if you look at its charter, the Bangkok agreement 
and treaty of amity and cooperation, then ASEAN I suspect is more 
political and economic.The economic part came only recently, in the late 
?80s, when we had AFTA coming up. The different between EU and ASEAN is 
that for EU the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) is in their 
background ? there was a common enemy in the Soviets. America is leader 
of NATO, EU is sort of a counter balance in a sense and they are all 
whites, expect Turkey of course, and they are homogenous in many 
aspects. The main thing is that the nation-building processes in those 
countries have occurred since the 16th and 17th centuries and are almost 
complete.

In our case we are still building (our) nations. Myanmar is still 
building the nation, Singapore hasn?t found its own identity, Malaysia 
too has multi-racial issues. The Philippines is completely different, 
holding American and Spanish influences. Indonesia is starting afresh in 
the post-Suharto era. Thailand has a different kind of history, it is 
quite turbulent in the sense of revolving coups and so-called democratic 
governments coming and going. So I think nation building in all ten 
ASEAN nations is still incomplete.

On ASEAN political integration
When ASEAN was set up in 1967 Indonesia, post-Sukarno, had very troubled 
relations with Singapore and Malaysia after konfrantasi, the Philippines 
and Malaysia were claiming Sabah and they were in dispute. So there was 
a kind of need to get totogether, so that they don?t fight each other. 
That is the basic achievement, keeping peace and stability in the region 
for the last 30 years to allow the countries to become developed. So, I 
think unless and until the national sovereignty is assured and nation 
building is almost complete in the eyes of leadership and people you can 
not go into an integrative process. I think it will be premature and 
disastrous to go for that. 

In those (early) days, even when ASEAN was more positive towards US 
involvement in Vietnam, the Thais sent troops, Singapore encouraged it, 
Malaysia was not very happy about it and the Philippines had American 
bases ? that was one of reasons why Myanmar didn?t join ASEAN in the 
first place.Vietnam was antagonistic and was a front line enemy to 
Thailand during the Cambodian crisis. Now we have Vietnam (in ASEAN), 
that itself is an achievement. But we cannot oversell ASEAN 
achievements. There are certain limits. 

On relations among ASEAN nations 
There would be disagreement, but after all ASEAN is based on issues of 
consensus. Thailand is the one who has been the loudest in saying they 
may have certain grievances that (the integration process) will slow 
their benefits. I think so far it may slow down the process a bit, but I 
don?t think there is any critical fracture at the moment. But I think 
within the ASEAN process there is always a way at least to alleviate the 
things you can not throw away or resolve.

But you can make it a low profile, non-binding process in which you can 
refer it to better times economically, politically. So, I think states 
and statesmen (at this moment of time) tend to look inward a bit because 
of their internal problems. This is the time we don?t want to rock the 
boat.

On the Thai election 
It depends a lot of course on the way that Thai political process will 
lead. They will have a coalition government anyway.I don?t expect a very 
clear-cut majority for any party in the forthcoming Thai election.





_______________ ECONOMY AND BUSINESS _______________
 

Myanmar Times: Developers wait for the post-crisis property boom 

Dec. 25-Jan. 4, 2000/2001

A QUICK glance through any one of a number of Myanmar newspapers and 
journals, filled with real estate advertisements, might suggest the 
property market was finally booming out of its long slump of recent 
years. But some property developers say those advertisements do not 
necessarily prove that this is the case.?We cannot say whether it is 
even a recovery period,? said one developer.?It will take some years for 
a real boom. These advertisements are just the survival techniques of 
property developers.? Perhaps, part of the problem is that most 
properties on the market are not within reach of middle income earners. 
Developers say most of their customers are successful businessmen and 
foreign exchange earners like seamen and others who work abroad.A few 
months ago car prices went up at the same time as apartment prices went 
down.

It is conventional business wisdom that there must be a connection 
between the two ? people buy either property or cars as an investment 
and, therefore, the slump in apartment prices suggested cars were 
considered a better buy. Wah Wah Win, one of the most prominent 
construction companies in Yangon, is in the market to sell condominiums 
and land.Marketing executive Daw Moe Moe Myint said that when the 
company noticed that car sales were up, it sought to capitalise on a 
perceived increase in disposable investment income by heavily 
advertising its stock.The guess turned out to be a good one, and Wah Wah 
Win moved quite a few units.But Daw Moe Moe Myint said making money on 
those sales was a different matter. The company had not made an annual 
profit since mid-1998 ? and that was not due to inactivity.

The company is the developer of the Myaseinyaung project in 
Hlaingtharyar Township, where half the 500-acre area has been 
sold.Myanmar Gong Yaung housing, a nine-storey building on Thanthumar Rd 
in Tamwe Township, has now only six units to sell from an initial stock 
of 70. The five-storey complexes of the Parami housing development, 
which have sprung up at the corner of Yangon-Insein Road and Parami 
Road, has only two units remaining out of 40. The 1250sq ft units have 
three master bedrooms, a living room, dining room, kitchen and car 
parking. In 1997 they were worth K6.2m. Now, they are sold at 
K5-5.5m.Units with 700sq ft floorspace, with only two bedrooms, were 
valued at K3m in1997 and have not fluctuated from that price. Daw Moe 
Moe Myint said most of the buyers were foreign exchange earners working 
abroad who could accommodate the hefty price tags. Wah Wah Win started 
business in 1989 as a sub-contractor to the Theingyi market project, 
followed by the Anawyahtha and Bahosi housing complexes and other 
projects.

It entered the development game with the Win Shwe War project just in 
time to be hit by the ?98 crisis ? although not so hard as were 
some.?Thanks to our customers, we were able to continue some projects 
but there are many unfinished projects even today,? she said.?There are 
even buildings in which foundations were laid only.?One of the lessons 
to come out of the crisis for this company was to keep moving ? to not 
hold onto land for too long.Today, Wah Wah Win finds ?on spec? buyers 
before it starts building.Financially, it is essential.?Now we have to 
pay for the maintenance fees and taxes in our condominiums. About 
K500,000 is spent on maintenance fees for each project,? Daw Moe Moe 
Myint said. Like every other operation in town, the depreciation of the 
kyat to the US dollar has had great impact.

But the company is planning to build five duplexes, a form of 
semi-detached housing popular in the west, at Shwe Than Lwin project on 
University Avenue Rd in response to customer demand. Another survivor of 
?97-?98 is Golden Flower Construction on Bayintnaung Road in Kamaryut 
Township, which began its operations working on the Shwe Marlar and Shwe 
Sabae projects.Since 1999 it has been developing the Shwe Pon Nyet, Shwe 
Padauk and Shwe Tharaphe housing complexes.At the Shwe Pon Nyet 
development, the company handed over 20 four-storey buildings to 
customers last October and is now finishing the 10 five-storey buildings 
at the front of the development.At Shwe Padauk, Golden Flower will 
finish 10 five-storey buildings next January and deliver the apartments 
to the buyers the following December. ?All of our customers are people 
who want to live in style, they do not intend to do business there,? 
said consultant engineer U Chit San Ko. 

The golden rule of real estate ? ?location, location, location? ? is a 
key determinant of demand. The quality of the building and the 
reliability of essential services are also important factors for 
potential buyers. From a total of 398 units over the three developments, 
about 40 only remain unsold.For a 1228.5 sq ft unit the price is K7.6m 
on the ground floor, K6.8m on the first floor, K5.8m on the second floor 
and K6m for an apartment on the top floor, with access to the roof 
garden. U Chit San Ko said that the company?s profit margin on 
individual sales was low, but that it was more interested in its profits 
across its combined developments.The property sector recovery, he said, 
was yet to happen. ?I can?t foresee that there will be a boom again. But 
there seem to be an equal supply and demand in Yangon in the 
construction sector,? U Chit San Ko said.U Khin Maung Aye, the 
operations manager for Manawhari Housing, said that over the last couple 
of years the company?s construction prospects had seemed ?hopeless?.

?Fortunately, we have now sold about half our units under the partial 
payment system but with a 15 per cent discount off our original prices,? 
he said. Construction of the Manawhari Housing project on Shan Road in 
Ahlone Township began in 1997 and about 60 units had been sold when the 
crisis hit Myanmar in 1998. About 50 occupants had to be refunded as 
work ground to a halt after the 1998 crisis. The project was later 
resumed.With a floor space of 1250sq ft, apartments set on the Shan Rd 
frontage were priced at K18m on the ground floor, K11.05m on the first 
floor, K9.35m on the second floor and K7.65m on the top floor. Units 
with a ground area of 799sq ft in the same development were K5.69m on 
the ground floor then K4.4m, K3.6m, and K3.2m respectively.About half 
the 208 residential units have now beem sold.Said U Khin Maung Aye: ?I 
believe our location can attract customers. Most of our customers are 
traders, doctors and engineers and others.?Now the real estate situation 
is very cool. It is clear that our business depends on the economic 
conditions of our people.If they have extra money, they will buy land 
and apartments,? he said.
 
  





______________________OTHER______________________


BurmaNet: Virus Warning

Dec. 29, 2000


The W95.Hybris.gen appears to be circulating in the Burma Internet 
community.  The first sign of this virus that you are likely to see is 
an email from hahaha@xxxxxxxxxxx  The email will come with an attached 
joke file that it asks you to click on.  Clicking on it will infect your 
computer with the virus.  One feature of the virus is that it fakes the 
sender's address.  hahaha@xxxxxxxxxxx is a non-existent address.  You 
can find more information on this virus at 
http://www.datafellows.com/v-descs/hybris.htm or, surprisingly enough, 
at www.sexyfun.net, where a computer tech has set up a page explaining 
the origin of the virus and how to get rid of it.


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